


Foiled

by Pyroxenite



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumatized Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Gen, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, give these poor children a break
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:03:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21710467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyroxenite/pseuds/Pyroxenite
Summary: Chat Noir and Ladybug are pushed to their limits by an ever-increasing number of akuma attacks. They're exhausted by the constant fighting, and people around them start to notice.Gabriel Agreste, in particular, takes the opportunity to push Adrien just a bit too far, knowing his son will do anything he can to prove his worth to his father. He'd had high hopes for this akuma, but...Neither of them truly expected him to win. Not like this.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 124





	1. Chapter 1

The day was off to a rough start, and it all went downhill from there. Adrien had been having a pleasant dream about playing with Plagg when he was shaken from sleep by a harsh knocking at the door. Plagg, who had been hovering near his ear with a frantic look in his eyes, darted away to hide. Adrien sat straight up in bed, tossing his covers to the floor as the knocking came again.

“Adrien! It’s time for breakfast. You need to be downstairs now or you’re going to be late.” Nathalie called from the hallway.

Adrien could almost feel her scowl through the door. “Coming,” he said, and waited for her footsteps to leave the door before he plopped back down on his pillows with a deep sigh. He could feel the bite of exhaustion behind his eyes; Even sleeping through his alarm hadn’t been enough rest to make up for his recent late nights. His workload as a civilian was getting tougher, and as Chat Noir, well.

Lately, Hawkmoth had not been kind to the sleep schedules of Paris’ heroes. It was like the man never took a break. Not for lunch, not to sleep, and on the worst days, not even between akumas. These days, Adrien spent more time in the mask than out of it.

His partner would never admit it, but he knew it was getting to her too. Ladybug’s reflexes were just a bit slower, her plans were just a bit simpler. She rarely responded to his banter, not that he had the energy to start much. He’d tried to ask if she was okay, and she was just a bit too hesitant to answer. ‘Don’t worry,’ she’d said to him, but her eyes were so sad. She didn’t smile anymore.

For that matter, neither did he.

“You need to get up, kid.” Plagg reappeared, bobbing up and down in what Adrien liked to think was the Kwami equivalent of pacing. He looked worried. “Even if you call in sick today for school, you need to get down there and eat something.”

“I’m up,” Adrien assured him, not moving his head an inch off the deliciously soft pillow. “I just need a minute.”

Plagg looked like he was going to argue, but then both of their heads whipped around as they heard footsteps approach the bedroom door. Plagg zipped into the bathroom. More out of instinct than anything else, Adrien slid out of bed in one fluid motion and hit the floor already walking. He was grateful he had fallen asleep in his school clothes—last night’s fight had been rough—because this time Nathalie opened the door straight away.

She looked him over. “Fix your hair,” was all she said, before she turned around and went back downstairs, leaving the door open.

Adrien ran his fingers through his bedhead, suddenly feeling rather anxious. Plagg came back from the bathroom carrying a small tub of hair product, and Adrien thanked him absentmindedly. He made his way downstairs, rubbing the gel into his hair, while his Kwami trailed behind him with his forgotten school bag, trying to catch his attention without catching the eyes of the rest of the household.

“Did she seem angry to you, Plagg?” Adrien finally asked, slipping the tub into his coat pocket.

Plagg gave up and slipped the bag directly on his holder’s shoulder. “No, that was normal,” he grumbled. “You’re just tired, Adrien. You’ll feel better after you eat.” He settled himself on Adrien’s other shoulder.

Adrien had been hungry, but now his stomach twisted itself in knots. If that was normal, did that mean she was always angry with him all the time? Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure he could stomach breakfast. He looked at Plagg for some reassurance, but his Kwami had a dark look in his eyes as he stared off into space. Adrien’s stomach twisted even tighter, regretting asking the question in the first place; He couldn’t stand the thought of Plagg being upset with him.

Plagg disappeared into his coat pocket at some point, and Adrien walked to the dining room in uncomfortable silence.

He had expected to be eating alone, but his father was already sitting at the head of the table, an untouched plate of food in front of him. He sipped at his coffee as he consulted the contents of a blue folder in his other hand, while Nathalie stood by, dealing with something on her tablet.

Adrien’s place was already set at the opposite end. Nathalie noticed him as soon as he walked through the door, but waited until he was seated say something.

“Sir,” she murmured, and Gabriel looked up from his papers.

Adrien’s greeting died in his throat at his father’s expression. The anxious pit in his stomach solidified into fear as he tried to figure out what he’d done so wrong to be looked at like _that_.

“Your grades are slipping.” Gabriel looked back at his folder, and pulled out a neatly paperclipped stack. With a jolt, Adrien realized they were his schoolwork—he recognized one of the more recent tests at the top. “Explain this to me.”

He’d gotten a good grade, still near the top of his class, but it was a few points below his last. Almost, but not quite enough to drop a letter grade. Adrien remembered that test. He’d just come back to school from an akuma attack and was falling asleep at his desk. Miraculously, he finished in time, but Adrien had a feeling that without the extra points from a bonus assignment they had done earlier in the week, his grade wouldn’t look quite so nice.

“It was just an off day, Father,” Adrien tried to explain himself. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

Rather than speaking, Gabriel pulled out more tests, more assignments with less than perfect grades. The pile grew, as did Adrien’s trepidation.

“You are not permitted to have ‘off days’,” Gabriel said sternly, “and this is more than just a day.”

Adrien didn’t know what to say to that, but Gabriel wasn’t done. He made a quick motion with his hand, and Nathalie walked to where Adrien was seated. She turned her tablet screen around to reveal a line graph of what Adrien realized were his scores. The numbers were declining, slowly approaching an angry red line set in the middle.

“Your grades have been dropping for months. This is unacceptable. Do you understand me?”

Adrien nodded, his eyes burning with shame as he pointedly avoided looking at the graph. Gabriel still stared at him expectantly, so he forced himself to speak. “Yes, sir.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

“Now,” Gabriel said, picking up his coffee again. “Explain yourself.”

Adrien knew there was no getting out of this, but he didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t exactly explain that it was Hawkmoth’s fault he couldn’t study or sleep, and he had a grim feeling that if his father ever found out he was Chat Noir he would try to take that from him too. “I’ve just been…tired,” he tried. “My schedule is so busy and the work is just getting harder and—”

Gabriel held up his hand, and Adrien stopped speaking abruptly. His father took another sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving his son’s face. “Nathalie told me you went out with friends yesterday after school. I don’t remember giving my permission for this.”

Adrien’s blood ran cold, and he looked at Nathalie, who was avoiding his eyes.

“It’s obvious that these friends are a bad influence on your studies,” Gabriel continued. “This ends now.”

_What?_ Adrien didn’t want to hear this. He couldn’t. “Father, wait, please—”

“You will not be allowed to see them outside of school for the remainder of the school year.”

“Please—”

“ _If—_ ” Gabriel interrupted, “you argue with me, or try to disobey me again, I will pull you from school entirely. Is that clear?”

Adrien didn’t trust himself to speak. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. He felt something warm press against his chest, next to his heart, and he was grateful for Plagg trying to offer some comfort, but that didn’t stop the lump from forming in his throat.

“Adrien?”

“Y-yes sir.”

“Yes, what?”

“It’s clear, sir.”

“Good. Now,” Gabriel stood, leaving his full plate and a now empty coffee mug. “Finish your breakfast. You may not be late to school.” He left without another word.

Nathalie lingered, standing over Adrien with a look almost like pity. “Adrien…”

Adrien forced a smile and wiped at his eyes. “I’m fine, Nathalie,” he said, dully. “I’m just not all that hungry.” He stood up, too, and shouldered his school bag. “I’ll see you later.”

She made no move to stop him, but later when he opened the car door, he found a hastily packed bag with the breakfast he hadn’t eaten, and a neatly wrapped chocolate cookie. Not exactly part of his diet. The food was still warm, and his stomach growled in spite of himself.

He still couldn’t bring himself to eat. It felt like a sorry attempt at an apology, and Adrien’s stomach was so twisted up in knots he was half afraid that if he tried he wouldn’t be able to keep it down.

They arrived at the school, and he got out of the car, putting on a wide smile to greet his friends.

He left the bag behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a terrible habit of writing the chapters out of order.

“—up!”

Marinette was yanked away from her blissful sleep by a panicked Kwami flying about and tugging on her pillow. She groaned and pulled the covers above her head, trying to block out the noise.

“Marinette, wake up!”

“Later,” she murmured, tucking the topmost blanket around her shoulders, trying to keep the warmth inside. It couldn’t be time to wake up yet, she was sure. It felt like she’d only just gotten into bed.

“You have to get up!” Tikki insisted. “You’ll be late for school.” With great effort from such a tiny being, she pulled at the covers, unearthing part of Marinette’s face, who shivered at the sudden draft of air.

Last night had been terrible, even by akuma standards. The victim had gained the power of cloning itself indefinitely, and the fight dragged on for hours, well into the early morning. Twice Ladybug had stopped to feed Tikki, and once she ate a cookie herself, at Tikki’s insistence. Chat Noir took three breaks, and though he never admitted to eating his Kwami’s cheese, he did come back from one break smelling like old socks and looking positively green in the face.

When it was finally over, Ladybug had barely made it back home before passing out in her bed, detransforming soon after. Now, somehow, she was more tired than ever.

Marinette was sorely tempted to just go back to sleep, but she was already missing too much class time while she was out and about as Ladybug. The more mornings she slept in, the more suspicious it would become, and she definitely didn’t need the added stress of prying do-gooders in her life now that she was the Guardian. Whatever she did, she had to do alone.

Damn these responsibilities. With great effort, she finally sat up in bed and rubbed at her eyes. “Tikki, what time is it?”

Tikki let go of the covers and zipped over to the clock. “Your alarm went off an hour ago!” She squeaked.

That woke her up. Marinette threw off the covers and slipped out of bed, slightly relieved to see she already had her school clothes on. Barely taking the time to grab her bag from beside her desk, Marinette dropped through the trapdoor and sprinted downstairs.

Her mother was at the table, sipping at a cup of tea when Marinette stumbled into the kitchen. “Marinette, dear,” she said, visibly startled. “I thought you had already gone to school.”

“Sorry, mama,” Marinette said, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek as she passed. “I overslept. I’m going now.”

Sabine hummed, watching her rifle through the refrigerator for a thermos of cold coffee. “Are you feeling okay, dear? You can stay home if you need to.” Her voice was thick with concern, and Marinette longed to take her up on it—wouldn’t that be nice, a hot breakfast, then back to bed—but she couldn’t.

Marinette forced a smile as she took a quick sniff of the coffee—it was a bit old, but smelled fine—and screwed the cap back on. It was better than nothing, and she really did have to go. “I’m fine,” she said, as she made her way out the door. “I’ll see you later, mama.”

She ran the whole way to school, taking quick sips of coffee along the way. Tikki had already taken up residence in her bag, but she was sure she could feel the small blue eyes on her as she ran, and she could almost already hear the talking-to she would get later about the choking hazard of running while eating. It wasn’t the first time, and she felt bad about ignoring her advice, but Marinette was really and truly out of options.

She made it to school, and not a minute to spare. The first bell rang as she reached the steps, and she nearly collided with someone on the way up. Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, saving her from a nasty fall as she got a face-full of her savior’s shirt.

Someone whistled behind her, and Marinette’s faced burned as she let herself be held for a moment, trying to ignore the smattering of laughter that followed.

“Sorry,” she said, clutching her coffee thermos to her chest as she detached herself from their grip. Not yet ready to meet their eyes, she glanced over their clothes—a black designer shirt under a white jacket.

_Oh no._

“Don’t worry, Marinette,” Adrien said, a gentle smile on his face. “Are you okay?”

She jerked her head in a quick nod, feeling her eyes grow hot with tears but unwilling to let them fall in front of the whole school. It was fine, really, and it shouldn’t be such a problem, but humiliating herself like this was dangerously close to the last straw on the camel’s back.

Trying to calm down, she took a slow sip of her coffee. She looked out over his shoulder in search of their friends, but instead she found Chloe, who had just come from the school doors, already sporting a scowl. No doubt, looking for Adrien.

The Adrien in question frowned with concern, and followed her gaze up the stairs to see Chloe, who was looking utterly annoyed to find him with the girl she couldn’t stand. He turned back to Marinette. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, again, his eyes bright with mischief. “I won’t tell Chloe you fell for me.”

Marinette choked.

Someone thumped her hard on the back, and she saw Alya, whose eyes were gleaming with laughter. “You good, girl?” She asked, slinging an arm around Marinette’s shoulders. Instantly, her tension melted away, and she managed to cough out a _yes_ , _I’m good, I’m fine, Alya I swear I just told you I was fine don’t look at me like that._

Marinette wasn’t quite smiling yet, but she didn’t do that much lately anyway, and now as she, Alya, and Adrien walked up the steps to school, she was at ease again. It was a shame to have to go to class now, as they were chattering and bickering and wondering out loud where on earth Nino could have gotten to. The conversation turned to lunchtime plans, then, and at the mention of food someone’s stomach gurgled.

Out of habit, Marinette put a hand to her own belly, but it hadn’t been her, as evident by Adrien’s face flushing an adorable pink as he rubbed at his side.

“You need to eat more,” Alya admonished. “Don’t they feed you?”

Marinette giggled at his sheepish expression, then _eeped_ as Alya’s attention was turned to her.

“You too, Marinette,” she said, and stopped just inside the school doors, blocking their way inside. “I’m serious.”

“I’m eating plenty,” Marinette insisted. “I live in a bakery, you know.”

Alya looked skeptical, but didn’t argue. “I’m just worried,” she admitted, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. “Why don’t we all go to my house for lunch? I’ll ask Nino when he gets here, but I’m sure he won’t mind.”

It sounded great, and once again, Marinette was tempted to just go with it. On the other hand, though, she’d planned to catch up on missed work during lunch today; she didn’t think she’d even have time to eat. Before she could voice this, Alya cut in.

“No. I know that look.”

“Alya!”

“You’re eating lunch with us, girl. No work today.”

“But—”

“No buts. You’re coming too, Adrien.”

Marinette looked to Adrien for support, but her playful protests died in her throat at his beaten-down expression.

He smiled, but it never reached his eyes. He reached up and ran his hands through his hair(did it always look that unkempt?), almost looking like he might cry. “Sorry, guys, I—"

Whatever he was going to say was killed abruptly as the ground shook beneath them. Alya fell against the door frame, and as Marinette reached out to grab her, the half-full thermos went flying, and the contents with it,

right

to

Adrien.

He was soaked; a dark, shameful stain spread across the white of his shirt. He looked shell-shocked, like a cat doused with freezing water.

Marinette couldn’t speak. Holding Alya more to keep herself upright now, she tried to apologize, but it was like the wind was knocked out of her.

Something crashed in the distance, a heavy thud that shook the ground again and sent a cloud of dust into the air.

Another akuma attack.

Marinette cursed her bad luck. Making sure no one was left outside, she pulled Alya out of the way and pushed the school doors closed herself.

“Wait, Marinette—”

“You guys need to get to safety,” she interrupted. She was upset and would spend plenty of time stressing about the perfect apology later, but this was more pressing and she slipped into Ladybug’s tired shoes without a second thought. She had to deal with this.

The other students had already gone from the courtyard, holed up in bathrooms or classrooms, which was fine. She didn’t know what form the akuma had taken outside, but she needed to get out there as soon as possible and meet up with her partner, who was probably already waiting for her. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

She looked at her friends, and the plan she had been crafting in her mind came to a screeching halt as she realized they were short one person.

Adrien was gone.

“Wait,” Alya said, looking around with her. “He was just here.”

“He probably went to hide,” Marinette reasoned, as if her stress levels hadn’t just blown through the roof. “Which we also need to be doing.”

“Great,” Alya agreed, though she looked longingly at the doors, probably thinking of the Ladyblog.

“Great. Um, you should find us a place, I need to, ah…” Marinette stumbled through an excuse. “I need to…call my parents! That explosion sounded close by, I need to make sure they’re okay. Alone.” It wasn’t the best, but it would have to do.

Alya seemed to accept this, but before Marinette could leave to find a place to safely transform, a sharp, manicured hand gripped her shoulder.

“What do you think you’re doing, Dupain-Cheng?” Chloe hissed. “I don’t know what you two said to Adrien, but he looked devastated. And _then_ you threw coffee on him!”

She’d almost forgotten Chloe, waiting, watching from the stairs. She’d moved inside before them, but was still close enough to see Adrien bolt after the akuma attacked. To make matters worse, Lila was right behind her, bearing an impish grin. The Ladybug’s mask of confidence faltered, just a bit.

“It was an accident, Chloe,” Alya groaned. She grabbed Chloe’s hand and removed it from Marinette’s shoulder, mirroring the dirty look thrown her way. “It was the akuma’s fault.”

“Ridiculous,” Chloe sneered. “If it wasn’t enough to bully my Adrikins, now you’re blaming the akuma for it too.”

The breath caught in Marinette’s throat at the word _bully_ , but Alya wouldn’t let that stand.

“The only _bully,_ ” Alya said, outrage creeping into her voice, “is _you_. Leave us alone.”

Chloe looked like she was about to explode, and she might have, if it weren’t for another blast from the mess going on outside the school walls. This one sounded, and felt, much closer.

Lila, who had sat back to watch this exchange with infuriating amusement, finally stepped in. “Weren’t you in a hurry to go somewhere, Marinette?” She cooed. “I’m sure I can smooth this over between our friends.” The word _friends_ was dropped just a bit too sharply.

There was no way in this world Marinette was going to leave Lila alone with the two of them right now, but the akuma was getting closer and the longer it went on, the more likely it would be someone would get hurt. She flashed a tight-lipped smile her way and grabbed Alya by the arm. “Let’s go hide,” she said, feeling a sting of guilt as she already planned another excuse to get away, alone.

Alya didn’t argue, but Marinette didn’t miss the way Lila looked at them as she turned to talk to Chloe, who was listening with mild disdain.

“What about your parents,” Alya asked as they hurried through the halls, flinching with every thunderous crash from outside. Marinette caught a glimpse through a window; the air was so thick with dust and smog that she couldn’t see across the street. Alya had to repeat herself twice more before Marinette snapped back from worry.

“Oh, um…” She said, slowing down to check the door of a darkened classroom—it was unlocked, so she opened it and pulled Alya inside. She shut the door behind them and pulled out her phone before she remembered that it had just been an excuse to get away, but she couldn’t exactly say that now.

An explosion echoed through the air, so close and so strong that the building vibrated. Things were knocked off the walls, chairs were knocked loose. Someone—maybe it was her—shrieked as the glass windows leading to the hall cracked, just shy of shattering. Marinette was very glad there were no windows to the outside in this room.

“I wish I could see what was happening,” Alya said, pulling out her phone. She unlocked it, and her face fell. “There’s no signal.”

Marinette checked her own phone, and saw the same problem. She had a feeling she knew where the akuma had been earlier—no cell towers, no communication.

This was a problem, but if she could do anything, it was solving problems. Right now, though, this solution began with keeping Alya out of trouble so Ladybug could come to the scene. Already, she saw the glimmer of adventure in her dearest friend’s eye, and her heart twisted to think what could happen out there with something that sounded this violent.

“Alya,” she began, but she never got the chance to ask her to stay hidden. They were both exposed, immediately, without ceremony, as the opposing wall was ripped away with a horrible screech of metal and stone.

A colossal monster stood before them, reminiscent of Stoneheart, but more of a terrible iron-colored machine, creaking and clanking like a vengeful robot. Oil and grease dripped from rusted joints, and gears whined and creaked as it moved, spewing smoke and steam into the air with every breath. She had a feeling this was an amok, rather than an akuma victim.

It threw the wall aside and peered in the classroom with dark, uncomfortably animalistic eyes. Grunting and groaning, it reached for the girls with one giant metal claw.

Marinette didn’t stop long enough to think. She pushed Alya towards the door, sparing a second to tell her to run, then grabbed whatever was nearest—in this case, a metal ruler—and rushed the giant’s hand.

Alya screamed behind her, and the sound tore her heart to pieces, but she couldn’t slow down. She had to keep them safe. Dodging a metallic swipe, she shoved the ruler into the joint where the claw met the arm, and the giant let out a screech, steam escaping from a gaping imitation of a mouth. It withdrew its arm wildly, smashing a desk and a chair on the way out.

Satisfied that she had bought them at least a little more time, she turned to Alya, who looked terrified but still hadn’t run. She hadn’t even opened the door.

Marinette tried to tell her to go, to hide, but Alya ignored her. “What were you thinking?” She said, flinching as the giant roared and smashed something outside. “You could’ve gotten hurt!”

“Alya, I’m sorry, but if you don’t leave right now we’re both going to get hurt.”

“What—?”

 _I’m sorry_ , she said, again, but only in her head. Not for the first time lately, she wished that someone else could just take care of this. She wished desperately that she could just run and hide and wait for it to be all over, to not have to worry about fighting. To not have to know that while Hawkmoth lost the battle every day, if she and Chat Noir lost the battle even once, it would be over. Her luck could fail once and Hawkmoth would win the war.

She was so tired of this fighting.

 _One day_ , she promised the Alya of the future, _I’ll tell you everything_.

Alya looked distraught, and Marinette was sure she looked no better, so she forced a smile. “Don’t worry,” she said.

A brief moment of hesitation, then Alya pulled her into a shaky hug. “I can’t not worry,” she said into her friend’s hair, and Marinette almost sobbed. Alya pulled away from the hug, though she didn’t let go entirely. “I trust you,” she said. “I’m sure you’ve got a plan. Just please stay safe.”

“You got it,” Marinette said, a true smile slipping through. “I’ll be back soon.”

Alya squeezed her hand, then bolted out the door. Marinette had a sinking feeling that the Ladyblogger was not going to miss this opportunity to get some great footage of this freaky looking robo-kuma, but Alya could usually handle herself.

Checking that Tikki was safe inside her purse, Marinette readied herself to call the transformation, but the giant had other ideas.

The gaping hole in the wall of the classroom had let plenty of light and dust in, but now she and Tikki were cast in shadow as the giant returned with a metallic roar. It thrust its other arm inside the room, smashing whatever it could reach with its shiny, two-pronged claw. Marinette finally turned to flee to somewhere safer, but just before she reached the door, she felt the cold steel of the robot’s claw close around her waist and squeeze painfully tight.

“Let her go!”

A voice from above startled her and the giant robot both. They both looked to see a familiar metal baton extend from the cloud of dust and smoke, striking the giant in the head with a clang. It staggered backward, but didn’t release its grip on Marinette, who yelped in pain as she was dragged along for the ride. Now out in the open, the smoke was so thick that she could hardly breathe, and her cry turned into a violent cough.

“I said—” His voice thick with rage, Chat Noir retrieved his baton and paused there, on the roof of school before taking a leap to strike the robot again. “Let go!”

It roared by way of answering, but finally let go of Marinette to take a swipe at the superhero. For a moment, she was falling free, and just as she braced herself for impact with the ground, she was grabbed out of the air and held tightly by a pair of strong, familiar arms. Then, she was flying.

Her eyes still closed tight, she felt the jolt of Chat’s baton hit the stone pavement, and they rose as he extended it, above the smoke and the noise of the sentimonster running amok below them. Neither of them spoke, but he held her a bit tighter every time she coughed up smoke and dust, and she hugged him a bit closer every time she felt his head dip to check on her. She didn’t know where they were going, but the roars of the amok were distant by the time he finally landed, settling on his knees but still holding her close.

She opened her eyes, blinking away the sting, and looked up at her savior’s face.

He looked haggard. Scared. Trembling. His own eyes were shut, now, and his face was dirty with soot and a smear of what looked suspiciously like blood. His lips were pulled back from his teeth in a grimace, and he fought for every breath like it might be his last.

He’d been fighting the sentimonster without her, and it looked like he’d been losing.

 _I’m sorry,_ she whispered. Soon, she would have to find a way to transform without being seen and they would both rejoin the fight, but for now, they needed to rest and he needed to recover.

Leaning back against him, she closed her eyes.


End file.
